T. Takubo et al., POLYMORPHONUCLEAR NEUTROPHILS IN SALIVA AND BLOOD - A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF MORPHOLOGY FUNCTION AND PHENOTYPE, British journal of biomedical science, 54(4), 1997, pp. 260-266
The morphology, phagocytic activity, production of hydrogen peroxide (
H2O2) and expression of lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-
1; CD11a/CD18), complement receptor type 3 (CR3; CD11b/CD18), p150,95
(CD11c/CD18), and platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM
-1; CD31) by oral polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) are assessed and
the results compared with those of blood PMN. There were no differenc
es in the morphology and phagocytic activity between oral and blood PM
N. H2O2 production was measured following stimulation with phorbol myr
istate acetate (PMA) and N-formyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (FMLP) as i
ndicators of bactericidal activity. There was a significant difference
in the H2O2 production by the two groups when stimulated with FMLP; t
he level of H2O2 production by oral PMN was significantly higher than
that by blood PMN. However, there was no significant difference in H2O
2 production between oral and blood PMN when stimulated with PMA. The
percentage of CD11a- and CD11c-positive concentrated oral PMN was sign
ificantly lower than that seen in blood PMN, as was the percentage of
CD31-positive cells. Higher H2O2 production by oral PMN following stim
ulation with FMLP may result in enhanced bactericidal activity. Low ex
pression of CD31 may lead to the accumulation of PMN in the mouth by b
locking their return to the bloodstream. These phenomena may be necess
ary for oral PMN to protect periodontal tissues from bacteria in the m
outh.